The Los Angeles Lakers are poised to be highly competitive next season, but there are already some early speed bumps in the new ownership era. With Mark Walter out and new co-owners running the show, the team is still in an active transition to accommodate the incoming executives.
The problem is that, between Walter’s abrupt exit and a dispute within the Buss family, the Lakers are unable to conduct their usual operations. In fact, until the situation upstairs is resolved, the Lakers are stuck with unfilled front office positions, leaving holes in the entire operation.
“According to a pair of league sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly discuss the Lakers‘ internal operations, there is a belief around the NBA that the team cannot complete the buildout of its basketball operations department until the ownership situation is resolved,” wrote Dan Woike.
The previous Lakers owner, Mark Walter, had only just taken over when he suddenly sold his shares. As the majority owner of the Dodgers as well, he planned to “merge” the two franchises by overlapping executives and matching their team-building formula. He managed to make a few hires, but the Lakers never finished filling out their staff before his sudden exit. Now, without a clear plan, vision, or chain of command, the Lakers are effectively on hold until executive matters are resolved.
“The Lakers were in the middle of this makeover for their team… I know of one guy who was a front office guy who was in the middle of leaving one team to go to the Lakers, and now all of a sudden they’re in a hiring freeze,” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on ‘The Hoop Collective.’Â
The Lakers were still in the middle of a full culture reset, defined by a total restructuring of the front office. The intent was to build a contender from the top down, using Walter’s influx of resources and connections to maximize the chances of success. While new owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner have similar ambitions (and even deeper pockets), we don’t yet know how they plan to see it through.
Regardless of their vision for the future, it will be impossible to make any progress with so much uncertainty. Nobody in that front office knows if their job is safe, including the GM and Vice President, Rob Pelinka. Even the acting team governor, Jeanie Buss, could be on the way out, as she fights with her siblings for control of the shares.
Ultimately, what happens next depends entirely on the Iger/Kushner duo. They have said all the right things after buying the team, but they won’t get far with so much internal chaos. That’s why, while the players are getting together in Luka’s minicamp, the Lakers can focus on finding stability and completing the transition into a new regime. The process has been challenging so far, and there’s much work to be done, but the team remains optimistic about where they stand heading into the new season.
